Suffocate In Spirit - Shadows of the Night 4

Chapter 8

Hi!

Guys, I'm staggered by the amount of good comments I'm getting. A big thank you to all of you who comment, and to all of you that silently read and stay with this story! This time you're getting a long one. I hope you like it :-)

Lara

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Chapter 8

The air was alive with musk and sweat, the undeniable scent the shape shifters emanated like a seductive narcotic. The darkness around us rippled and moved like leaves rustling in a cold gust of wind.

A pair of golden, wolf-like eyes glinting. The shape shifter closest to us moved. A giant of muscles and meat. Shadows masked the greater part of his face, golden eyes watching us with the kind of stillness predators have before they pounce on their helpless, unsuspecting prey. I peered into the darkness, catching a glimpse of the rings and studs on the shoulders of his leather jacket. They made tinkling noises with each step he took. Was it a voluntary, deliberate measure? One of the many tactics the shape shifters used to mess with their prey's mind, push them over the edge and right into panic mode? Or just part of their get-up, a fashion statement that demarcated who they were? No matter which of the two it was, the sound made me want to turn around and run.

I felt it. My mother's pendant warmed against my skin, a second heartbeat to my own that urged me to do ... something. Only what?

"What do you want?" Andy said in a low voice.

"I think you got something that belongs to us," the shape shifter's voice was throaty, came out with the guttural sound of something more animal than human.

I froze. They came for the flash drive.

"You can hand it over, or ..." Darkness parted and I saw the corners of stud jacket's mouth lift into a smile that was all teeth, canine, and steel. "... we can make you."

My mouth went dry, my tongue a desiccated piece of flesh. Three against two. The odds were against us.

The question was: were they going to turn furry on us or not? I tensed, a hundred and one thoughts racing through my brain – and none of them worth a damn.

A coil of magic twisted and flared up deep inside of me, creeping to the end of my fingertips without me consciously thinking about it.

"Think again, wolf-boy. We're witches. You can try," Andy said, flexing his fingers.

I saw the look on Andy's face and froze. I'd seen this kind of expression on him before. It was the night he burned a vampire to death. He was going to fight them, no matter the odds, and he'd enjoy the hell out of it.

The anticipation ebbed and exploded, morphed into something entirely else in one flash. Andy stepped forward and a hedgerow of fire erupted between us, racing from one end of the street to the other.

I stumbled back, away from the heat, and stared at Andy's strained set of shoulders in disbelief, peering through the walls of fire licking away at the air. How the hell did he do that? He just conjured a field of fire without even raising a hand, less a finger?

I narrowed my eyes. Could he command the fire by thought alone? It took a damned high degree of control and skill to do that. Did Andy have that kind of control? How could I have missed it?

Fire was the most destructive of the four elements, which was why fire witches were hot commodities in the Force. I knew that Andy was one of the best among the Force members. I'd simply never been on the receiving end of his magical punches.